Our age of urbanisation has focussed primarily on city inhabitants, while developments in rural areas drifted into the background. As a result, a binary differentiation between centre and periphery arose, which no longer took (inter)dependencies into account. Regions on the Rise focuses on fresh concepts and rethought design approaches with which to understand and plan rural regions. Conceptual understandings of the region as only a supportive hinterland for the city appear invalid, out of date and ineffective; as are the design and planning tools and instruments grown from this thinking.

The region is rather built upon spatial interdependencies that are increasingly autonomous of the city. The goal of the theme is to identify and highlight strategies for the development of a future sustainable rural area, connected to the metropolitan areas in the digital age. The interrelationship between rural production and urban culture is also increasingly being placed in the centre of society. This includes awareness in the context of urban agriculture, local markets, organic food stores, regional and seasonal consciousness and ecological strategies.

What choices, offers and services are needed to identify a new regional self-conciousness and create an attractive environment for the next generation of rural citizens? How can new visions and opportunities for a circular economy and local products be created?